Yes, I agree with your Builder. 9' ceilings are nice and still work with 6'-8" standard door & window heights. You might add a 8' drop soffit around the Kitchen if your upper cabinets are standard to 8' heights. Looks better than having a shelf above the uppers! Of course, taking the upper cabinets to 9' is worth it too! That's what I did in my Kitchen and Laundry Rooms gives additional storage using a step ladder to access!

We (a family of 4) live comfortably in a 1400 sq. ft house. Had larger homes and loved them at the time. It's a different mind set, much easier to keep. We do have lots of porches and decking and live in Texas where we can be out a lot. Would NOT go back to a large home. Less is more for me. Ignore those that criticize, unfortunately, it seems to be a part of human nature.

Cathy are you planning on putting in new flooring? Do you want to refinish existing flooring? Here are some oiled finishes we are using over Walnut and White Oak. They come from Rubio Monocoat. joel@oakandbroad.com

Double the budget won't be nearly enough to renovate an entire home in LA. TV fiction is very far from real world reality. It is much cheaper in the long run to buy a home that is already exactly what you want it to be. If an already renovated home is out of your price range, then your renovations will be too. It will cost you 30-60% more to get the same ''after'' result yourself. Cost vs Value